OPINION: Alaska’s approach to child care has never been sustainable

Child care. These two words have been part of my daily conversations since COVID-19 exposed just how broken the child care system is: It costs parents too much, pays early educators too little, and the supply doesn’t meet the demand.

The U.S. child care sector is in crisis. In Alaska, this crisis is having a profound effect on parents’ ability to work, business growth and our economy. In her address to the state Legislature, Sen. Lisa Murkowski called the crisis a national security issue because our military families are struggling to find child care.

As a registered nurse for 14 years, I have seen the devastating effect that a lack of child care and wellness can have on a family and community. Decades of research have shown that high-quality child care promotes positive development. I’m proud to serve on the Board of Directors of thread, Alaska’s Child Care Resource & Referral organization. In the past two years, child care resource nonprofit Thread, in partnership with the State of Alaska Child Care Program Office, has helped to distribute federal relief funding directly to child care and early educators. This has kept child care open, helped to retain some early educators, and shown that public investment matters. But that investment is not enough to keep all programs open or all early educators in the field.

Early educators (who earn an average of $13 per hour) continue to leave child care for higher-paying jobs in other sectors. Without enough workers, child care programs can’t operate at capacity, can’t move parents off wait lists, and may have to close their doors — which translates to fewer working parents.

Thread hears from parents daily about the struggles to afford and find child care. The American Nurses Association reports we have the largest nursing shortage in history, likely exacerbated by a lack of child care.

More than 60% of Alaskans live in a child care desert (areas where there are more than three times as many children as licensed slots). My own community of Valdez, at the end of the pipeline, has no full-day licensed child care programs. Because this impacts our workforce, our entire community is affected.

All Alaskans deserve the right to work. Those with young children must have options. Not all families have access to extended family as a form of child care. Our children deserve high-quality environments and educators that support their readiness for kindergarten and life.

As a state we have underinvested in child care, expecting families with small children to work things out when they can’t find child care. Other states have realized child care is a win-win for families and the economy. Alaska simply can’t afford not to invest in child care any longer.

The Alaska Legislature is currently discussing priorities for our state budget. Thread is advocating for sustainable policy solutions and investments in child care. It will take all of us to create a new future for child care. Ultimately, we will all benefit, because child care helps buoy health care, our workforce and a healthy economy.

Olivia Foster is an Infection Preventionist/Population Health Care Coordinator at Providence Valdez Medical Center.

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